Ecology Unit Test

Lessons 1 - 11

ownership view

states that we do not own land and should not try to change it

frontier view

states that we can affect the environment as long as it benefits

stewardship view

states that we can look after something that is not ours, so protect the environment to protect it.

ecological sustainability

maintaining or restoring the ecosystem, including the plant species, biodiversity etc

easter island

an island that used to be full of biodiversity, but due to the actions of the inhabitants is now no longer an enriched biodiversity of plants

biology

the study of living organisms

ecology

the study of interactions between all living things and their environments

ecological hierarchy

the connections and relationships between living and nonliving things in the world. From top to bottom, individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome and biosphere

individual

looks at how one living organism interacts with its environment

population

a collection of individuals that belong to the same species

community

a collection of populations in a given area

ecosystem

a community and the nonliving things they interact with

biome

a collection of ecosystems that have similar properties such as climate and organisms

biosphere

the sphere in which all nonliving and living things and biomes exist.

ecological spheres (4)

- biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.

lithosphere

the rock sphere

hydrosphere

the water sphere

atmosphere

the air sphere

biotic factors

components of an ecosystem that were or still are living

abiotic factors

components of an ecosystem that non living

competition

two species competing for resources

predation

one predator hunts one prey

mutualism

two species helping eachother and both benefiting

commensalism

two species interacting and only one of them benefits

natural ecosystem

Exist naturally (without the intervention of people)More biodiversity (more organisms)More protection from abiotic factors

artificial ecosystems

Created by and often maintained by people. Less biodiversity (less organisms); they may even be a monoculture (one organism) More exposed to abiotic factors

things the sun provides

light, energy and heat

photosynthesis

The process carried out by plants and algae to use the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose (sugar) and oxygen. This is a chemical change! It takes 6 molecules of carbon dioxide and 6 molecules of water to make 1 molecule of glucose and 6 molecules of oxygen!

Cellular respiration

The process in which animals/humans turn oxygen and sugar into usable energy and waste, such as carbon dioxide and water.

why are photosynthesis and cellular respiration complementary processes

Plants obtain the carbon dioxide they need while animals/consumers obtain the oxygen produced by plants (producers). The reactants It’s cycled throughout the ecosystem such that whatever is made from one process is used for the other.

exponential growth

growth is limited and resources are unlimited

logistic growth

resources are limited

limiting factor

any resource, condition, or factor that restricts the growth, reproduction, or distribution of a population or an organism

density dependent factors

• Causes growth rate to change as population density increases

• Different species populations in the same ecosystem will be affected differently

• Examples: competition for food, disease risk

density independent factors

• Not influenced by population size

• All species populations in the same ecosystem will be similarly affected, regardless of population size

• Examples: weather, climate and natural disasters

carrying capacity

the number or quantity of people or things that can be conveyed or held by a vehicle or container.

Intraspecific competition

a biological interaction where individuals of the same species compete for limited resources like food, water, space, or mates.

interspecific competition

occurs when different species in an ecosystem compete for the same limited resources.

closed system

does not allow matter to be taken out or into a system

liebigs law of the minimum

the nutrient in least supply and will limit the population growth

law of tolerance

a range of abiotic factors that an organism can survive in

biotic potential

maximum number of offspring and is dependent on four factors

biotic potential - birth potential

maximum number of offspring one organism can have

gestation period

the times an organism can reproduce

Food chain

showing how energy transfers from one organism to another when one organism consumes the other

food webs

a combination of food chains

types of organisms

• carnivorres

• herbivores

• omnivores

producer

produces food via photosynthesis (autotrophs)

consumer

they consume other animals as food (heterotrophs)

detritus

decayed matter ( soil) abiotic

decomposers

they are organisms that consume detritus

energy in food chains

only 10% of energy is passed along organismsto the next trophic level

trophic levels

denotes how many steps away the orgnaism is from the sun

food webs: competition

the more niches ( roles) of different populations overlap the more competition. when there is too much protection, one species will extinguish the other species.

extirpated vs endangered

extirpation is the extinction or endangerment of a species in a particular area, only, not in other areas, and endangered or extinct are animals that are endangered everywhere.

matter cycles

• water cycles

• nitrogen cycle

• carbon cycle

water cycle

shows continuos movement of water within earth and atmosphere:

how water goes into air

• evaporation - sun heats up water, turns into vapour, which rises

• condensation - water vapour in air rises , changes to water creating clouds

• transpiration - water from soil is taken up by plants and released into air as water vapour

• sublimaiton - water turns from solid to gas, like ice to vapour

how water move around

precipitation - water falls from clouds in rain

deposition - water vapour changes into ice

runoff - water (precipitation) that moves on earth surface to streams

infiltration - water soaks into soil or rock layers of the surface

percolation - water moves through soil

carbon cycle

• the way carbon moves throughout the ecosystem

where carbon is found

in animals performing cellular respirtaiton

organic matter decaying

decomposers breaking down organic matter

combusting fossil fuels

volcanoes erupting

fires burning

CO2 dissolves in oceans, killing coral and builds up in its shell and skeleton as calcium carbonate,a s well as in rocks and marine life.

Nitrogen cycle

shows how nitrogen cycles through living an dnonliving organisms

Nitrogen or N2 is a vital component in animals, but they can’t absorb it in this form.

Processes in Nitrogen cycle

• nitrogen fixation

• decay

• nitrification

• denitrification

nitrogen fixation

nitrogen is fixed by certain bacteria into ammonia

Decay

ammonia is released from animals discretion nad is absorbed by the soil

Nirtificaiton

ammonia is converted to nitrites, then into nitrates via nitrfying bacteria

denitificaiion

denitrifying bacteria in soil converts nitrates back into nitrogen, converted back into atmosphere

what are pests

anything that is unwanted or nuisance in a specific environment can be considered a pest

pesticides

things designed to kill and remove pests

fat soluble pesticides

readily absorbed into fat cells, often resulting in extended persistence in food chains

water soluble pesitceds

pesticides that can dissolve easily in water, they are more likely to move with water in surface runoff or move through soil in waater wiht less soluble pesitices

bioaccumulation

when an organism takes a toxin in faster than it can remove the toxin and builds up in there tissues

bioamplificaiton

toxins mvoe up a food chain. can also be known as biomagnetficaiton

plastics

plastics are useful for many purposes, but they are also good for absorbing toxic chemicals, called persistent organic pollutants

Persistent organic pollutants

• they break down very slowly

• they contain carbon

• they are toxic to all orgnisms

DDT and bald eagles

ddt was used for grass which was eaten by eagles and meant their eggs were weak adn broke when birds were trying to incubate them

Freshwater ecosystems

3% of world is freshwater

Light penetrability

point of limit of light where light can’t reach.

littoral zone

shallow water; from shore to where rooted plants stop, this area is where plants can perform photosynthesis

benthic zone

layer of decayed matter - detritus - at the bottom of the lake, this makes soil good.

limnetic

where plants start to stop growing

euphotic zone

where plants perform photosynthesis

profundal

where photosynthesis can’t take place

oligotrophic lakes

deep cool lakes

larger profundal zone

high oxygen level

short food chains

few nutrients

water appears clearer

eutropic lakes

shallow warm lakes